A Dog Refuses to Leave His Owner’s Side During His Entire Hospital Stay

The video of a yellow Labrador Retriever caring for his human friend has been viewed more than 9 million times. And let’s face it — dogs are just incredible creatures. Whether they’re providing comfort, assistance, or simply a sense of safety, these furry heroes embody the very best of humanity. Just look at Magnus, one of the best service dogs we’ve ever seen.

He went to the hospital for a check-up.

For Brian Benson, it all started with sudden chest pains and difficulty breathing. He went to the ER to get checked out, and as a result, doctors kept him for 3 days, running countless tests, observing his condition, and monitoring his heart.

Unfortunately, the prognosis was dire, and doctors discovered he had cardiomyopathy. In a word, his heart was weak due to blocked arteries, and it all was linked to his family history of heart disease and heart attacks, especially at a very young age.

He was leading a healthy life, but as he said, “You can’t beat genetics.”

Brian had been working out for over 35 years, eating healthily, completing multiple Spartan races, running the NYC marathon, and so on. And yet he’s one of those rare cases when a person “just” develops cardiomyopathy.

“The painful reality is that sometimes you just can’t beat your genetics, no matter how hard you work. It’s almost like trying to swim upstream — maximum effort with minimal or limited results,” he wrote on Instagram. However, he believed he was fortunate to have friends, family, and his boy, Magnus, when he needed them most.

His family and friends were always ready to help during visiting hours.

His daughters stayed with him all 3 days he was in the hospital. They ensured he was comfortable and had enough pillows and enough “yummy food to eat.” “They really stepped up and did EVERYTHING for me,” said Brian.

He was also grateful to his friends who stood in his corner, helping in any way possible. He has known many of them since childhood and others since the 3rd, 4th, & 5th grades. They’ve become a family for him, and they all checked in with him constantly to see if he was okay or needed their help.

But the only friend who was allowed to stay after visiting hours was Magnus.

Brian’s family and friends were not allowed to stay with him after visiting hours. Thankfully, doctors allowed Magnus, his service dog, to stay with him 24/7, and that added a lot to all that overwhelming outpouring of love and support that his relatives had already surrounded him with.

Magnus did precisely what he does best. He kept Brian relaxed and took his mind off the current situation, which is crucial for anyone with such a severe condition. He knew when to cuddle and when to get a little “goofy.” And he made the medical staff smile as well. “I love this dog more than he will ever know.”

Brian and Magnus became a local pet therapy team.

Now, they visit hospitals to comfort terminally ill children and adults. They also see their grieving families and do not forget about the overworked hospital staff who do everything possible to help their patients.

The team works with children who have severe learning disabilities and emotional disorders as well. And to do that, Magnus has to “shine” with empathy. He needs to have a natural ability to read people and understand all their needs in the moment. Magnus is just the right dog to do all these things and bring everyone smiles, joy, and love.

“Everyone who encounters Magnus cannot help but smile and feel relaxed. He has a calming nature about him that relieves any stress or anxiety you may have, and he always makes you feel at ease,” their official website reads. And hopefully, many people share their values and motto: “Life is better with a dog”!

I was having chest pains and a hard time breathing last weekend, so I went to the ER to get checked out. They kept me for 3 days to run countless tests plus observe my condition and monitor my heart. Unfortunately it is very serious and they discovered that I have a condition called cardiomyopathy, which means my heart is weak and working way harder than it should. Normally this occurs due to a blockage of the heart. I don’t have any blocked arteries which is the good news. The bad news is that this is possibly linked to my family history of heart disease and heart attacks (especially at a young age). Even though I have been working out for over 35 years, eat healthy, ran the NYC marathon, completed multiple Spartan races, trained in Krav Maga and boxing, I’m one of the rare cases where a person “just” develops cardiomyopathy. The painful reality is that sometimes you just can’t beat your genetics no matter how hard you work. It’s almost like trying to swim upstream; maximum effort with minimal or limited results. However I am extremely lucky and grateful for so many things; friends, family and of course my boy, Magnus. Both of my daughters stayed with me all 3 days while I was in the hospital; making sure I was comfortable, had enough pillows and that I had yummy food to eat (because I am a huge foodie). They really stepped up and did EVERYTHING for me. Friends were also in my corner helping in any way possible. I’m lucky to still be extremely close to a large group of friends from when I was a kid; friends since the 3rd, 4th & 5th grade. These people aren’t really just friends anymore, but family. They all checked in with me constantly to see if I was ok or needed them to help in anyway. The outpouring of love and support has been overwhelming. Then there is Magnus. Thankfully he was allowed to stay with me 24/7 because he is also my service dog. He did exactly what he does best; kept me relaxed and took my mind off the current situation. He knows when to cuddle and when to get “goofy.” He made the medical staff smile and also kept my girls calm. I love this dog more than he will ever know.